Summary

School Library Journal Review

Gr 6-10-Despite their ample visuals, which include colorful diagrams, maps, charts, and photos on almost every page, these titles are confusing and superficial. The writing is awkward and the information extremely limited. The data is an overwhelming mishmash of poorly explained odds and ends. The books focus on geography, population patterns, the environment, and economics. Government, natural resources, education, the arts, religion, holidays and recreation, everyday life, famous people, history, and transportation are barely touched upon or are completely ignored. USA is disorderly, unstructured, and unrelievedly negative. Readers are treated to "Environment and Hazards," and problems are highlighted throughout the book. In addition, the West Coast is overemphasized, and more than half of the books in the list for further reading (plus many of the statistics) date from 1991 or earlier. France is better organized but still flawed; many of the charts and graphs are difficult to understand, inadequately discussed, and largely irrelevant for reports or travel. Use United States in Pictures (Lerner, 1995) or an encyclopedia for a concise study of the U.S. Richard Ingham's France (RSVP, 2000) gives a better look at this country and includes appropriate, clear visuals.-Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.